Scientific name: Bombus Pascuorum                    Common name: Common Carder Bee

About:

The Common Carder is one of many different types of Carder bee and it feeds on a range of wild plants such as thistle, nettles and fruit trees. This bee is considered a 'social bee' which means that it lives in a colony. This colony is more likely but not exclusively to be underground. The first inhabitants of this nest that will be seen are the females , unlike many other species where the males appear earlier in the year.

         Key Information:

Size: 12-27mm (Depending on role)

Habitat: Woodlands, Grasslands , Gardens and Coast

When to see: Late April to November

Family: Apidae

Order: Hymenoptera

Biological rank: Species

Fun Fact: The queen, when building a nest, will layer the walls with moss and leaves

How to Identify:

This bee is slightly harder to identify than other bees on this list however there are some distinctions. For example although mostly light brown the thorax of this bee is a darker brown / ginger. Furthermore this bee has a striped brown and black abdomen.  Finally , unlike many bees on this list , this bee has long hair and this gives this species a fuzzy appearance.